Laws
No tribes can afford new federal sentencing law
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- American Indian tribes authorized to triple the amount of time tribal members can spend in jail say they're challenged by a lack of funding.
Date: 05/31/2012 | Nation & World
Diners gird for California foie gras ban
This is not a good time to be a duck with a fatty liver in California, though better times lie just ahead.
Date: 05/30/2012 | Nation & World
Lynnwood students going to court
LYNNWOOD -- About 800 fifth-graders are headed to court Thursday.
Date: 05/25/2012 | Local News
In digital age, public-records law gets cloudy
Our recent story about at-work campaign activity involving an aide to Aaron Reardon wasn't just about the slow-motion scandal unfolding around the Snohomish County executive.
Date: 05/17/2012 | Need to Know
200 pound 9-year-old returned to mother's custody
TOLEDO, Ohio -- A 9-year-old boy removed from his mother's custody after his weight ballooned to more than 200 pounds returned home slimmer with a free gym membership, exercise equipment and even a new scale.
Date: 05/12/2012 | Nation & World
Kansas lawmakers pass anti-Islamic law measure
TOPEKA, Kan. — A bill designed to prevent Kansas courts or government agencies from making decisions based on Islamic or other foreign legal codes has cleared the state Legislature after a contentious debate about whether the measure upholds American values or appeals to prejudice against...
Date: 05/11/2012 | Nation & World
Wash. high court: Warrant in pot bust no good
OLYMPIA -- The Washington Supreme Court says evidence of marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms found on a Yakima man's property can't be used to prosecute him.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Northwest
Wash. high court to hear executive privilege case
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire will have to defend her claims of "executive privilege," as the Washington Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case over her decisions to withhold certain documents from the public, which critics deride as government secrecy.
Date: 04/25/2012 | Northwest
Mukilteo may allow medical marijuana permanently
MUKILTEO -- Within a few weeks, it might be permanently legal to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes in Mukilteo.
Date: 04/24/2012 | Local News
Fire authority could affect taxes
A regional fire authority in south Snohomish County wouldn't just change the name of the fire trucks rolling up to an emergency.It would alter the way property taxes are drawn, and how cities budget for services.
Date: 04/17/2012 | Need to Know
Bighorn sheep targeted in lawsuit and by disease
LEWISTON, Idaho -- Three environmental groups are challenging a decision by the Payette National Forest to stop implementing new grazing restrictions designed to protect bighorn sheep in north-central Idaho.
Date: 04/11/2012 | Northwest
Drunken drivers who kill face longer prison terms
After she signed the bill, Gov. Chris Gregoire stood up to give Carol Blair a hug and hand her the pen she used to turn a quest for justice into law.The Tacoma woman held a large poster of her daughter by her side.For Frank Blair, Carol's husband, it was a poignant moment.
Date: 04/06/2012 | Local News
Idaho gov. signs animal cruelty measure
BOISE, Idaho -- Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter gave his approval this week to a new law that puts felony animal cruelty penalties on the books in Idaho for the first time.
Date: 04/05/2012 | Northwest
Seattle considers breastfeeding ordinance
SEATTLE -- The Seattle City Council is taking up the issue of breastfeeding in public.At its Wednesday afternoon meeting, the council is considering an ordinance to prevent discrimination against breastfeeding mothers.
Date: 04/04/2012 | Northwest
Safety, jobs at issue in Bothell annexation
BOTHELL -- The paramedics at Fire Station 22 must be feeling rather popular these days.For the second time in six months, their jobs seem to be the most hotly debated issue facing Bothell-area voters.
Date: 03/28/2012 | Local News
Wash. to appeal over emergency contraceptives
OLYMPIA -- State officials announced Wednesday they will appeal a federal judge's ruling that Washington state cannot force pharmacies to sell Plan B or other emergency contraceptives.
Date: 03/21/2012 | Northwest
Idaho Senate delays vote on abortion ultrasound mandate
BOISE, Idaho -- Senators with Friday afternoon flights opted to delay voting on a measure to require women to undergo a fetal ultrasound before terminating a pregnancy.Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis told colleagues he'd stick with his promise of a noon adjournment.
Date: 03/16/2012 | Northwest
Blue Alerts will alert public when officer is injured, killed
OLYMPIA -- Washington will soon join the growing number of states that let the public know when a law enforcement officer is injured or killed and the suspected offender is on the loose.
Date: 03/16/2012 | Local News
Shootings of 3 kids an anomaly, not a trend, say experts
STANWOOD -- The accidental shootings of three Western Washington children so far this year represent a statistical anomaly rather than a sudden burst of gun violence, according to legal experts and state data.
Date: 03/15/2012 | Local News
More than 200 pack Idaho hearing about ultrasound bill
BOISE, Idaho -- More than 200 people packed a Senate committee hearing on a bill to require Idaho women to get an ultrasound screening before terminating a pregnancy.
Date: 03/14/2012 | Northwest
Online impersonation bill signed into law
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed into a law a bill to help victims of online impersonation pursue lawsuits in civil court.The bill, signed by the governor Wednesday, passed through both the Washington state House and the Senate unanimously.
Date: 03/07/2012 | Northwest
State's renewable energy law expanded
SEATTLE -- Gov. Chris Gregoire on Wednesday signed a bill that for the first time broadens the definition of renewable energy.
Date: 03/07/2012 | Northwest
Judge upholds most of liquor initiative
KELSO -- A Cowlitz County judge on Friday upheld most of a voter-approved initiative that requires the state to get out of the liquor business, but called for a trial to determine whether a provision for public safety funding caused voters to approve a measure they otherwise would have...
Date: 03/02/2012 | Northwest
New ideas considered for public records disputes
OLYMPIA -- A recent increase in large payouts from public records disputes has some in state government considering new ways to avoid costly and drawn out court battles.
Date: 02/25/2012 | Northwest
Powell in-laws: Child-protection system has flaws
OLYMPIA -- Josh Powell's in-laws said Thursday that Washington's child-protection system is flawed and could better ensure the safety of children with changes in policy.
Date: 02/23/2012 | Northwest
Republicans previously supported mandate for contraceptives (Video)
WASHINGTON -- Since President Barack Obama moved to require Catholic hospitals and universities to offer their employees contraceptive health benefits, Republicans have rushed to accuse the administration of an unprecedented attack on religious freedoms.
Date: 02/17/2012 | Nation & World
Judge shuts down Bremerton shooting range
BREMERTON -- A judge has ordered a cease fire at a shooting range near Bremerton until it complies with all county land-use requirements.
Date: 02/10/2012 | Northwest
Initiative to legalize recreational marijuana will go to voters
OLYMPIA -- Washington state lawmakers said Thursday that an initiative to legalize and regulate the recreational use of marijuana will be decided by voters.
Date: 02/09/2012 | Northwest
Judge tosses case seeking rights for orcas
SAN DIEGO -- An effort to free whales from SeaWorld by claiming they were enslaved made a splash in the news but flopped in court Wednesday.
Date: 02/09/2012 | Nation & World
Duped dad might get a refund from wife’s boyfriend
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Over the years, Eric Fischer had grown suspicious of whether he was really the father of his youngest daughter. So he secretly got a sample of the girl's hair, grabbed one from his own head and sent them to a lab for DNA testing.
Date: 02/03/2012 | Nation & World
Judge upholds Indiana school voucher law
INDIANAPOLIS -- A judge upheld Indiana's school voucher law on Friday, rejecting opponents' arguments that the largest such program in the nation unconstitutionally uses public money to support religion.
Date: 01/14/2012 | Nation & World
Wash. Dems file brief to defend Obama health law
OLYMPIA -- A group of Democratic lawmakers in Washington state asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to uphold President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.
Date: 01/12/2012 | Northwest
Many U.S. communities are blocking medical marijuana
More and more states are saying yes to medical marijuana. But local governments are increasingly using their laws to just say no, not in our backyard.
Date: 01/09/2012 | Nation & World
Medical marijuana patients file counter initiative
OLYMPIA -- Medical marijuana patients who oppose an initiative to legalize marijuana filed a counter initiative Friday.
Date: 01/06/2012 | Northwest
Recording closed meetings could assure public trust
One of the more tumultuous stories here in recent years has revolved around the Everett School Board and its members' apparent inability to agree on much beyond their deep-seated animus for each other.
Date: 01/06/2012 | Need to Know
Campaign disclosure law among new laws Jan. 1
OLYMPIA -- A new Washington state law that makes it harder to obscure sources of money to campaign financing committees takes effect on New Year's Day.
Date: 12/31/2011 | Northwest
Court halts state limits on late ballot donations
OLYMPIA -- A state law that restricts large donations to ballot measures in the weeks before an election is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
Date: 12/29/2011 | Northwest
Troopers clamp down on cell use by drivers
Washington State Patrol Trooper Keith Leary is used to spotting the glow.As he patrols highways in Snohomish County, he sees countless drivers using their cellphones illegally."It's a lot more obvious at night," he said. "It actually illuminates the side of their heads."
Date: 12/27/2011 | Local News
Court: No exempt well water limit for livestock
YAKIMA -- The Washington state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that state law does not limit the amount of groundwater that can be tapped for livestock from a permit-exempt well, upholding efforts by one of the Northwest's largest cattle feedlots to water 30,000 head of cattle in rural Eastern...
Date: 12/22/2011 | Northwest
In Monroe, traffic-camera plans were transparent
I spent much of the summer sifting through giant stacks of public records regarding traffic-enforcement cameras.Some of those public records requests yielded documents rich with news stories.
Date: 12/16/2011 | Need to Know
Patients challenge Seattle marijuana rules
SEATTLE -- A group of patients sued to block new medical marijuana regulations in Seattle on Wednesday, saying cities in Washington have no authority to impose such rules.
Date: 12/14/2011 | Northwest
County prosecutor won’t pursue manslaughter charge against builder of boat in fatal sinking
LAKE STEVENS -- Prosecutors have declined to file charges against a King County man who police believe knowingly sold an unsafe boat that capsized on Lake Stevens two years ago, killing a woman.
Date: 12/14/2011 | Local News
PDC: Dismiss complaint against conservative group
SEATTLE -- The investigative arm of the Public Disclosure Commission has recommended that a complaint of illegal elections tactics filed against a conservative political group be dismissed.
Date: 12/02/2011 | Northwest
Judge: Wash. must restrict refineries' emissions
SEATTLE -- Washington must restrict greenhouse gas emissions from the state's five oil refineries and possibly other industries under a federal judge's ruling Friday.
Date: 12/02/2011 | Northwest
Trial over Plan B prescriptions begins Monday
OLYMPIA -- A four-year legal fight over who must provide "morning-after" contraceptives such as Plan B lands in a federal courtroom Monday, testing Washington state Pharmacy Board rules requiring pharmacies to dispense any medication for which there is a community demand.
Date: 11/26/2011 | Northwest
Bellingham noise ordinance now covers turkeys
BELLINGHAM -- A noisy turkey is now just as bad as a barking dog in the eyes -- and ears -- of the Bellingham animal control officers.The City Council approved an ordinance Monday extending the noise complaint ordinance to roosters, turkeys and peacocks.
Date: 11/23/2011 | Northwest
2nd former U.S. attorney endorses state pot effort
SEATTLE -- A second former top federal prosecutor in Seattle has endorsed an effort to legalize and tax marijuana for recreational use in Washington state.
Date: 11/12/2011 | Northwest
Tacoma voters make pot offenses low priority
TACOMA -- Tacoma voters approved a ballot initiative seeking to make marijuana offenses the lowest law enforcement priority in the city. Backers say they pushed the measure in Tuesday's election to protect medical marijuana patients.
Date: 11/09/2011 | Northwest
Supreme Court questions warrantless GPS tracking
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court expressed deep reservations Tuesday about police use of GPS technology to track criminal suspects without a warrant.
Date: 11/08/2011 | Nation & World
The public's business
When is it OK for officials to close the door?
Date: 10/07/2011 | Need to Know
It’s illegal to sell guns to marijuana card holders
HELENA, Mont. — Firearms dealers in states that allow medical marijuana can't sell guns or ammunition to registered users of the drug, a policy that marijuana and gun-rights groups say denies Second Amendment rights to individuals who are following state law.
Date: 09/29/2011 | Nation & World
Judge upholds strict immigration law
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A federal judge refused Wednesday to block key parts of a closely watched Alabama law that is considered the strictest state effort to clamp down on illegal immigration, including a measure that requires immigration checks of public school students.
Date: 09/29/2011 | Nation & World
Reporting child abuse most often done by professionals
You have read the disturbing details:"The girl weighed about 51 pounds when Child Protective Services asked police to remove her from the home. That's about two-thirds the weight of a healthy child her age.
Date: 09/25/2011 | Local News
New voter ID laws target rare voter fraud
WASHINGTON -- Several states adopted new laws last year requiring that people show a photo ID when they come to vote even though the kind of election fraud that the laws are intended to stamp out is rare. Even supporters of the new laws are hard pressed to come up with large numbers of cases in...
Date: 09/25/2011 | Nation & World
Report: Checks needed on police GPS tracking
WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan group that includes former leaders of the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration on Wednesday called for limits on law enforcement's use of GPS and other powerful technologies to track the movements of suspects.
Date: 09/21/2011 | Nation & World
More documents in Monroe camera enforcement lawsuit
The date to settle the legal battle between the city of Monroe and opponents of traffic enforcement cameras is only a week away, and both sides are preparing their best arguments.
Date: 09/14/2011 | Need to Know
Backers of camera ban in Monroe respond to city lawsuit
An initiative in Monroe to ban traffic enforcement cameras is valid because it's protected by both the state and federal constitutions, according to the lawyer defending it.
Date: 09/13/2011 | Need to Know
Judge hears arguments in Alaska abortion lawsuit case
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A new state law requiring that parents be notified if their child wants an abortion is one of the most burdensome in the nation, a lawyer said Thursday.
Date: 09/08/2011 | Northwest
Tool for investigations
Lynnwood cops request traffic camera images for other cases
Date: 08/21/2011 | Need to Know
Cops' jobs rely on traffic cams
Lynnwood police chief says department needs the cash
Date: 08/18/2011 | Local News
Traffic camera company sought Mukilteo officials' help in filing lawsuit
MUKILTEO -- A former vice president for an Arizona-based traffic enforcement-camera company last year tried to enlist Mukilteo's mayor in finding somebody from the community "to use" in bringing a lawsuit that attempted to block a vote on an anti-camera initiative.
Date: 08/07/2011 | Local News
New state laws on tap today
One liberalizes sale of beer keg-filled 'growlers'
Date: 07/22/2011 | Local News
Monroe groups opposing traffic cameras raising money for lawyer
MONROE -- Backers of two anti-traffic camera initiatives in Monroe are raising money for a lawyer after the city filed a lawsuit against them.
Date: 07/19/2011 | Local News
Judge blocks limit on recall contributions
SEATTLE -- A federal judge in Tacoma is blocking Washington state from enforcing campaign finance laws with respect to an effort to recall the Pierce County assessor.
Date: 07/15/2011 | Northwest
Everett moves to bar medical marijuana gardens for a year
EVERETT -- The city of Everett is pushing for an emergency one-year moratorium on medical marijuana gardens, joining four other Snohomish County cities that have already temporarily banned or plan to ban the cooperatives.
Date: 07/14/2011 | Local News
Monroe's continued turmoil over traffic cameras
There's more to be said about Tuesday night's long discussion at Monroe City Council regarding the use of traffic-enforcement cameras.
Date: 07/13/2011 | Need to Know
Monroe City Council wants advisory vote on traffic cameras
MONROE -- The use of traffic-enforcement cameras in Monroe could end up on the ballot after all.The City Council on Tuesday made clear that it wants voters to weigh in on the future of traffic enforcement cameras in the city, perhaps as early as the November general election.
Date: 07/12/2011 | Local News
County’s largest fire district wants a countywide ban on fireworks
EVERETT -- Leaders in Snohomish County Fire District 1 are recommending a countywide fireworks ban except for professional displays
Date: 07/09/2011 | Local News
Everett police warn about the dangers of ‘bath salts’
They won't scent a steamy tub with lavender, but they could cause organ failure and profuse bleeding.That's right -- bath salts have come to Snohomish County.
Date: 07/08/2011 | Local News
Everett police warn smoke shops about bath salts
Turns out “bath salts” weren't an urban myth. That's why Everett cops were visiting smoke shops around town Thursday.
Date: 07/07/2011 | Sirens
Want to read Monroe's traffic-camera contract?
There's been recent talk of a clandestine escape clause in Monroe's contract with traffic-camera contractor Redflex, out of Arizona.Well, we have the contract. Monroe provided it long ago because it is a public record.You can read through it for yourself.
Date: 06/28/2011 | Need to Know
Trial in Ore. opens window on medical marijuana dark side
GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- A drug trial in Grants Pass has opened a rare window into the dark side of a large-scale medical marijuana operation.
Date: 06/24/2011 | Northwest
House bill seeks an end to U.S. ban on marijuana
WASHINGTON -- Two House members introduced a bill Thursday that would remove marijuana from the list of federal controlled substances and cede to the states enforcement of laws governing pot.
Date: 06/24/2011 | Nation & World
Some Kitsap espresso stands might get X rating
PORT ORCHARD -- Some espresso stands with barely covered baristas in Kitsap County could be classified as adult entertainment.The Kitsap Sun reports it's one option as the Department of Community Development responds to complaints about so-called sexpresso stands.
Date: 06/23/2011 | Northwest
Activists say pot initiative targeted to limits
SEATTLE -- Activists behind a new push to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Washington state say the measure is carefully calibrated to what voters will support -- and to what will keep state workers from getting into trouble with federal agents.
Date: 06/22/2011 | Northwest
Former U.S. attorney pushes pot legalization
SEATTLE -- A man who once served as the Justice Department's top official in Seattle said Tuesday that he is sponsoring an initiative to legalize and tax marijuana in Washington state, a measure he hopes will help "shame Congress" into ending pot prohibition.
Date: 06/21/2011 | Northwest
Seattle appeals decision withholding officer names
SEATTLE -- The Seattle city attorney's office wants a judge to overrule an arbitrator's decision that the names of disciplined police officers must not be made public.
Date: 06/21/2011 | Northwest
King County votes to require all on or in certain rivers to wear life vests
SEATTLE -- A divided King County Council has passed a measure to require all swimmers, floaters and boaters on the county's rivers to wear life vests.After passing 5-4 on Monday, the measure now goes to King County Executive Dow Constantine, who proposed it.
Date: 06/21/2011 | Northwest
Boeing complaint benefits workers, NLRB says
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The top lawyer for the National Labor Relations Board told a congressional committee Friday that while the board's complaint against the Boeing Co. may make South Carolina workers feel vulnerable and anxious, the legal action is aimed at protecting the rights of workers...
Date: 06/18/2011 | Business
Workers can be fired over medical pot
OLYMPIA -- The Washington Supreme Court says workers can be fired for legally using medical marijuana outside the workplace. Justices said in a 7-1 decision Thursday that nothing in state law protects employees who use medical marijuana.
Date: 06/09/2011 | Northwest
Judge dismisses Island County commissioner's suit against county
COUPEVILLE -- A lawsuit against Island County, filed by the county's newest commissioner, has been dismissed.
Date: 06/04/2011 | Local News
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